


if you don't, it's cool (untitled 04)

by youngerdrgrey



Category: Queen Sugar (TV)
Genre: 30 x 31 Writing Challenge, F/M, Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-19 14:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9445016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngerdrgrey/pseuds/youngerdrgrey
Summary: Remy licks his lips when he's frustrated with her. It's a shame she even knows this tick tbhor,the time their cute office-desk fantasies got sidetracked by an actual conversation





	

**Author's Note:**

> written for day 15 of the 30 x 31 writing challenge; **prompt:** line from a song as the title ("untitled 04" by Kendrick Lamar)

/

When Remy's frustrated, he licks his lips. He'd done it back in the storm, when she'd pushed for the workers to stay and he hadn't been able to convince her otherwise. He'd licked his lips like he was gearing to say something, then just stood there beside her. He does it whenever he holds himself back. So, when they're in his office after a long day of going over plans for the mill, she keeps an eye out for the tick. Just to keep track of his limits.

She checks off another farmer's name from her list. The goal for today is to finish drafting up paperwork for all of the farmers about to take a chance on her. She will hand deliver the paperwork to each of the farmers on Friday, along with a signed notice explaining the suggested next few steps in getting out of their contracts with the Landrys. The first one to get paperwork will be Ralph Angel, more as a courtesy than anything else. And even then, Charley rolls her eyes once she comes to his name on the list.

"I don't understand why he keeps fighting me on this." She says it like they're mid-conversation, but Remy doesn't miss a beat. He tends to respond to her as if he's an extension of herself at this point. It should be unnerving, to have someone come into her life and so quickly integrate himself into her. And yet, at this point, it's mostly just comforting to have someone who hears not just what she's saying but what she can't quite put into words.

He shakes his head from his place at his desk. "Ralph Angel just wants to be consulted. He might be on pay roll, but he runs the farm."

"I thought the money ran the farm." She saves her template document under his name and starts filling in the blanks. "And it's not like I don't listen to him."

Remy snorts. She glares at him, and he does glance over then. He says, "When's the last time you heard that boy? And I mean, actually heard him. Not just let what he said go in one ear and out the other."

"Just about the farm or anything?" Because if it's anything, then she heard him just yesterday. He'd wanted to order in from the good barbecue place rather than cooking since Vi was taking some personal time. And even though Charley wanted spaghetti more than anything, she'd compromised. And announced that spaghetti would be dinner tonight. Which reminds her -- "We'll have to be going soon."

Remy turns in his chair. "Don't try to get out of answering me." Honestly, it shouldn't be fair for him to sound so sexy when he tells her no. His voice gets gruff around the edges. She pushes her laptop half closed to get a better look at him.

The office has one desk, then a long table that she's taken over for the night. The chair all the students sit in for office hours has been repurposed as her own. She's even got a box of old files acting as a foot rest. But she has to bring her feet back to level so he can know she's serious.

"I'm not trying anything. It's getting late. We haven't eaten--"

"And you haven't listened to your brother in weeks. Not since before we got the cane in the ground."

Even then, she mostly listened to him when delegating suited her interests. Why bother hearing anything when she was still dealing with Davis? But now, she can give her full attention to what's happening, and Ralph Angel has a tendency to hear what he wants. Which, Remy seems to be telling her, is a family trait.

"Fine." She puts her hands up in mock defense. "I don't listen."

"You don't. And I swear, if you didn't look so good, you wouldn't get away with half of what you do."

And there's the Remy she's coming to know. The one who finds a way to slide a compliment into everything he says. She finds herself smirking before she can help it. Notes the way her chest rises and her eyes latch onto his. "I thought we were talking about Ralph Angel."

He shrugs, wheels his seat over to the table so they're across from each other. "We were. But I think we could talk about the bigger problem."

"Which is?"

He closes her laptop the rest of the way. His voice comes out light, like it's a fact rather than an attack. "You don't know how to trust people."

Her husband cheated on her for years. "I'd think it's pretty understandable."

"But there are people who've proven themselves worthy of your trust. At least, I would think so. People who haven't steered you wrong, or taken more from you than you could give."

The people in this category are pretty limited. Vi can be there, Micah, Remy, of course, but Ralph Angel did a lot of asking without backing himself up. And Nova stole money, for which she still hasn't apologized. Though, in his defense, Ralph Angel shouldn't have to explain everything he does. But he has to because he makes such dumb mistakes. He'd pulled a gun on the men who tried to take the tractor. He'd brought Darla to Vi's house after everyone in the world knew how much Vi hated Darla. He'd -- well, he'd gone to prison.

That's what it came down to. All his life, Charley trusted him to make the right choice. He had the whole of the family looking out for him, not to mention how much their dad worshipped the ground Ralph Angel so much as glanced at. And he'd managed to do everything wrong. Got Darla pregnant, got into drugs, got locked up, and Charley had to find out through half a voicemail and a reporter from TMZ who wanted to watch her crumble in person.

She'd been picking up Micah from school when a reporter had rushed up to her and asked how she felt about her baby brother getting locked up. If she and Davis would be going to get him out. If she thought this bad behavior would affect Micah. And she'd laughed off the reporter saying that her family would never. Her brother would never. Then she'd listened to Nova's voicemail in the car. 

_"Hey. Sis, listen, Rah's in some trouble, and we're trying to figure it out now. We'll call tonight, okay? Keep your phone up."_

Hadn't told her a damn thing. Left her looking stupid and feeling even more lost in the world.

She doesn't want to think about this. She wants to flirt with Remy, finish her paperwork, and eat some spaghetti at Vi's house. Or maybe just the first one and the last one.

She slips her laptop off the table and places it in her bag. Grabs her notepad and papers too.

"Hey, where you going?"

She zips the bag up. "I'm starving, Remy, and--"

"And you're running away. See that's -- that's something right there."

Does she detect some judgment in his voice? "We can keep talking."

"On your terms," he adds. He leans back in his seat, and he turns his head to the side before licking his lips. Her eyes widen, and he comes back to face her. "What?"

Nothing. She swallows that word down. "You can finish your sentence."

He shakes his head. "I just want you to know that you can loosen the reigns a bit. Give him a longer leash. Give us all some room to make mistakes."

Oh she can? Every time she gives people some rope, they trip her with it and leave her with her ass in the air and her face to the pavement. But he's already frustrated, so snapping at him won't help. He's already wanting for something that she's apparently not giving him freely enough.

But she really does want to know what he thinks she'll get out of giving people space. Sure, they might surprise her, but they might also ruin her plans with that. Like, if Ralph Angel had made his plan and gone through with it, her mill wouldn't have the farm's support. Her mill wouldn't have her own family behind it. It wouldn't work. But, his plan did work with what they had for the most cost effective solution. Well researched and actually, honestly doable, which is more than what could've been said for the Ralph Angel of the past.

But Nova's still a mess. She never apologized for the money. But she had been right to say that Charley would've done anything for Micah. And Nova cared for Too Sweet so much in such a short period of time. Every instinct in Nova's body to protect and love and nurture came through ten fold and Too Sweet's all the better for it. Even Micah's a little better for it, since he saw it and got to meet Too Sweet, got to know that his aunt is more than just words and thoughts. Nova's a woman of action. Their whole family acts before thinking most of the time. It's stressful, but it gets results.

So long as no one gets locked up again, and no one steals ten thousand dollars, "I'll work on it. Now, can we go eat?"

Remy nods and slides back over to pack his own stuff up. "You know, when I first invited you to my office, I got this image. Of you, on the desk." He whistles low while rolling up some of his sketches and plans.

She could give in, but she really does need to eat, and if he'd wanted that particular image, he probably should've left the conversation alone.

"Maybe next time."

He glances her way, licks his lips with a different sort of meaning behind it. "I'll hold you to that."

.

.

.


End file.
